AWN Headline News

2005 DIY Film FestivalLos Angeles, California, USAFebruary 2005Deadline: January 25, 2005

The DIY Film Festival honors films from the growing field of cutting edge, do-it-yourself storytelling. Dramatic, documentary, animation, student and comedy feature and short films made after Jan. 1, 2002 and shot in DV, Beta, HDTV, 16mm or 35mm will be considered. All entries must be created using commonly-available tools of independent filmmaking without financing from a major film studio or corporate backer.

Famed Russian animator and director, Yuri Norstein, has been awarded the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese government, reports the NewsRu.com. An official release said the animator received the award for remarkable services to Japan.

Norstein is best known for his films THE HEDGEHOG IN THE FOG and THE TALE OF TALES. Due to production and funding problems, the filmmakers adaptation of Gogols THE OVERCOAT has been in production for years.

With a domestic gross of $75 million in two weeks, it was pretty inevitable that THE GRUDGE would get a sequel. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER reports that Senator International and Ghost House Pictures have hired scribe Stephen Susco to return the cursed-themed film and write a part two. Ghost House Pictures' Sam Raimi and Rob Tappert, Roy Lee and Doug Davidson will return as producers. Star Sarah Michelle Gellar nor director Takashi Shimizu have signed on for THE GRUDGE 2.

Barcelona-based D'Ocon Films Prods. have teamed with Belgian animation company Pixanime to co-produce the TV series, HANBAGUI, reports VARIETY. D'Ocon will run pre-production and post with the animation outsourced to China. HANBAGUI is a 3D series, which follows a shape-shifting blue-colored alien who becomes marooned on Earth. The show is targeted to kids 3-10.

D'Ocon has two other 3D series LEONARD and MALIKA -- in production with France's Ellipse Anime.

IDT Entertainments New Arc Films and POW! Ent. have signed acclaimed comic book, film and television writer-creators Marv Wolfman and Scott Lobdell to write the screenplays for two animated features under the six-project New Arc-Pow! Deal. The films will be produced by DPS Film Roman.

The PGA New Media Council is hosting a panel discussion on animation production, featuring players from Sony Imageworks, Cartoon Network, DreamWorks Feature Animation, Disney Feature Animation, Universal Cartoon Studios, TOKYOPOP and JibJab Media. The focus will be on key issues of animation production including the state of the business, pitching and deal making, domestic and foreign production studios, skill sets vital to animation producers, technology used to create new animation styles and distribution venues, and designing animation projects to draw the right audience.

Nickelodeon, into its third week of presenting a festival of shorts to viewers, sees Comedy Central has jumped in on the action with its new shorts compilation show called, JUMP CUTS, that premieres Nov. 7, 2004, at 12:00 am, midnight. This half-hour for the next four Sundays is for late night, adult comedy viewing with an interesting mix of animation and live action with an encore presentation on Wednesdays at 2:00 am.

Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz. Check out the latest installment from quizmaster Karl Staven, an accomplished independent animator and head of the Animation Department at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This weeks quiz looks at the history of Casper (a.k.a. the Friendly Ghost).

At the American Film Market, the worldwide distribution rights to indie animated feature, THE EASTER EGG ESCAPADE, were sold to First Look Media.

Warner Bros. Pictures has announced plans for a special nationwide sneak preview of THE POLAR EXPRESS on Nov. 6, 2004 at 4:00 pm. The picture will preview in approximately 500 screens and in specially selected IMAX houses in IMAX 3D. The film will open in theaters across the country on Nov. 10.

Eleven films are eligible to compete for the Best Animated Feature Film Oscar in the 2004 Academy Awards competition.

The eligible films are:CLIFFORDS REALLY BIG MOVIEDISNEYS TEACHERS PETGHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCEHOME ON THE RANGETHE INCREDIBLESTHE LEGEND OF BUDDHATHE POLAR EXPRESS